MGT 4440 Spring 2020 Exam 3 (Take-Home Exam)

MGT 4440 Spring 2020 Exam 3 (Take-Home Exam)

Instructions:

• Read all instructions carefully before beginning your exam. Type your response directly below the question. There are 14 questions: Questions 1-4 come from Chapter 9; questions 5-8 come from Chapter 12; questions 9-10 come from Chapter 16; questions 11-12 come from Chapter 17, and questions 13-14 are miscellaneous.

• You may use your course textbook, assigned Ted Talk, and provided PowerPoint slides to answer the exam questions. Any other materials (for example, Google searches, other books, articles, other people, etc.) are prohibited. Evidence of the use of any materials beyond your course textbook assigned Ted Talk and provided PowerPoint slides will result in a zero on this exam. They could also result in charges of academic misconduct. Do not risk your grade or your academic future.

• Answer the questions in your own words and according to the course material. Do not copy answers directly (word-for-word) out of the book. Even if you properly cite a direct quote, no credit will be awarded because the instructions are to answer in your own words. Unless a question indicates it is an opinion question, there is a correct answer based on the course readings and PowerPoint slides. Responses that do not reflect the course material will not receive credit. You are not required to cite the article from the textbook or slides. It is understood that is where information is coming from. Turnitin is enabled.

• This exam must be submitted to the Take-Home Exam 3 assignment in Canvas before Tuesday, May 5, at 1:00 p.m. (Central) to be considered for credit. No late exams will be accepted. Since you have several days to complete this exam, there will be no opportunities for make-up exams or time extensions. You can submit your review at any time before the deadline.

• If you would like your exam graded early, make a note in your submission comment that your exam is ready for grading. Otherwise, I will not grade exams until the deadline has passed because I will have no way to know your submission is your final submission. If you choose to take this take-home exam, you will not be permitted to take the traditional multiple-choice exam.

• Explanation/Discussion questions will be scored according to the following anchors: 100% = very thorough; 90% = thorough; 80% = somewhat thorough; 60% = surface-level, not thorough; 0% = does not answer the question asked.

• Type your name in the space designated below to serve as your signature verifying that you have read and understood the exam instructions and are complying with the guidelines and the honor code. Your exam will not be graded, and your grade will be recorded as zero if you do not provide your name in this box.

I have taken this exam with honesty and integrity and in compliance with the Troy University Honor Code. Typing my name in the space below certifies that (a) I have read and understood the above instructions and (b) my responses and thoughts provided in this exam are my own and only my own formed based solely on the course readings and presented PowerPoints slides and (c) I have consulted no outside resources to formulate my responses. I understand that violations will result in a zero on this exam and will be punished under Oracle policies.

Student Name: _________________________

Student’s signature (type your name in the line above to serve as your signature)

Type your answer/response below each question to which you are responding.

1. Which approach to group decision making is considered the best way to utilize team resources fully? [3 points]

Answer:

The consensus approach is the best way to utilize team resources. This is due to its participatory and collaborative nature, meaning all the group members’ opinions are put into consideration before reaching an agreement. The approach also encourages the best use of team resources as there is plenty of teamwork in play. Consequently, there are usually higher chances of implementing the decisions from group decision making.

2. When are group decisions superior to individual decisions? [3 points]

Answer:

Group decisions may be superior to individual decisions when there is diversity in the team. When there are people with different backgrounds, it means that their opinions will be diverse and present a new perspective as opposed to when the group making decisions comprises of similar individuals. Group decisions are also superior to individual decisions when there is proper communication. The presence of this ensures that ideas can be pooled from all directions to provide efficient decision making. These group decisions may also be superior when the tasks at hand are quite complex. It means that there is a need for people to come together to find the most efficient solution making the group decision better.

3. List [1 point each] three causes of group decision-making problems, and explain [up to 2 points each] how each (explain for each separately) is a cause of group decision-making problems.

Problem 1:

Disagreements are one of the significant group decision-making problems.

People may fear to disagree or to raise dissenting opinions for fear of the same. This means that there will be a consensus without all people on board for fear of speaking up. This may then translate into the implementation of the project phase, where the problems may arise.

The lack of disagreements in group decision making may also signify a problem. They tend to stimulate thinking and foster better decision making. If they lack, then it shows that there may be a problem in decision making.

Problem 2:

The impact of emotions may also affect group decision making.

There are usually instances where groups are under pressure to make decisions. This leads to negative emotions that may distract the group as they make decisions. They may fail to raise differing opinions so that they avoid or yield to the pressure.

Still, on pressure, the group may experience negative emotions that may make them find it right to be deviant to the source of stress. This means that they are likely to form a unanimous opinion or decision even if some feel it is not the right one. This way, they can defeat the source of pressure, but the result is a poor decision.

Problem 3:

The other group decision-making problem is groupthink.

This is where individuals will prefer the decisions that maintain harmony in the group. Therefore, they will avoid anything that will bring conflicts. In such situations, there is likely the maintenance of the status quo to avoid stepping on other members of the group toes.

Groupthink also drives the team to ignore output from external sources, which may lead to adverse decisions.

4. Reflect on the structured group decision-making techniques.

1. What are the benefits of the nominal group technique? [up to 3 points]

Answer:

It is quick as people just write individual solutions and then there is q quick evaluation and rating

The method lacks the pressure to conform

The plan excludes any social relations

1. What are the problems with the nominal group technique? [up to 3 points]

Answer:

The method calls for a group facilitator to run the session

There could be a problem in that the group can only focus on narrowing down a single issue at a time.

1. What are the benefits of the Delphi technique? [up to 3 points]

Answer:

The Delphi technique is advantageous in that people in different geographical locations could use it.

The method is also useful for large groups of people.

It can be used for the resolution of disagreements that require subjective judgments

1. What are the problems with the Delphi technique? [up to 3 points]

Answer:

The technique is quite time-consuming as it would take over a month. Therefore, it is not suitable for problems that require quick solutions.

The other problem is that it requires skilled personnel who have the expertise to develop and analyze surveys.

5. Reflect on creativity and its characteristics.

1. What is divergent thinking? [up to 3 points]

Answer:

Divergent thinking is the creative thinking process that will focus on the development or generation of novel ideas.

1. When should divergent thinking be used? [up to 3 points]

Answer:

Divergent thinking is useful in the generation stage. This is when there is no specific right or wrong idea. It means that it is an open-ended stage of creativity.

1. What is convergent thinking? [up to 3 points]

Answer:

Convergent thinking is the creative thinking process that focuses on the solutions. It analyzes possible solutions from the idea generation stage.

1. When should convergent thinking be used? [up to 3 points]

Answer:

It is useful in the application stage. It helps to apply the ideas that have been generated during a different phase.

6. List [1 point each] three factors that increase group creativity, and explain [up to 2 points each] how each (explain for each separately) increases group creativity.

Factor 1:

Task conflict

This means that there are dissenting opinions on the solution of the task. When there are these dissenting opinions, then it means that the team will continue to come up with more creative ideas as there is a level of stimulation of their thinking. This will lead to the best solutions for the task at hand.

Factor 2:

Diversity

When there are different members of a team, it means that there are going to be different levels of creativity and multiple perspectives about issues. When the diverse group brings these together, they can then develop the best solutions which portray increased creativity.

Factor 3:

Direct experience

Teams who have direct experience know how to navigate various problems. This means that they are better placed to come up with creative solutions. They also quickly build on each other’s ideas, which is a plus for group creativity.

7. Tim Brown begins his Ted Talk by referring to creativity researcher Bob McKim who liked to do an exercise with his students where he got them to take a piece of paper and draw the person who sat next to them as quickly as they could. He consistently found that the response after the exercise was a lot of apologies. What did he consider this (the embarrassment and apologies) evidence of? Explain. [up to 5 points]

Answer:

This was evidence of fear of people to show their ideas to their peers. It also indicates a fear of judgment from peers, which makes people conservative in terms of their creativity. It is surprising that this only happens with adults since children are not afraid of showing their ideas to others.

8. What three reasons [3 points each] does Tim Brown give to explain why IDEO uses finger blasters as their big symbol?

Reason 1;

They use finger blasters because they think that playfulness is quite essential to ensure that the workplace is creative.

Reason 2:

The other purpose is that the finger blasters help people in the company do their jobs better

Reason 3:

Finger blasters are also a reason that makes people feel better when they do their jobs.

9. List [1 point each] three potential problems that can arise from including team members in team member (peer) evaluations, and explain [up to 2 points each] how each (explain for each separately) can be a problem.

Problem 1:

Favoritism

There is likely to be some kind of bias as the team members work together. Therefore, the peer evaluator will favor the member of their team because that would eventually translate to a win for the entire team.

Problem 2:

Personal relationships

There is also the problem of personal relationships. When people are members of a team, they may have good or conflicted relationships. In the case of good relationships, the peer evaluator may have a bias and overlook some of the weaknesses of the peer. In the case of conflicted relationships, then the evaluator may judge the colleague unfairly, which interferes with the entire performance evaluation exercise.

Problem 3:

Problems with evaluating co-workers

There is likely to be an inflation bias in the evaluation of co-workers, especially if there is no anonymity included. The peer evaluator may put out the right word just to show even if that is not entirely true, adversely affecting the performance evaluation.

10. List [1 point each] three biases that are likely to affect team member (peer) evaluations, and explain [up to 2 points each] how each (explain for each separately) can be a problem (can impact ratings).

Bias 1:

Inflation bias

This is a type of bias that occurs when the evaluator knows that there is no confidentiality in the evaluation. Therefore, they will tend to fear to give honest assessments for fear of causing disharmony in the team. They will also tend to emphasize with the colleague if their assessment could threaten their position in the company.

Bias 2:

Reciprocity bias

Team members may be called upon to evaluate people that have previously estimated them. This means that they may feel obliged to give the same ratings that these people gave them earlier on. It interferes with the objectivity and reliability of the performance evaluation.

Bias 3:

Halo effect

The halo effect mostly occurs in a matter of success or failure of the group. There is the tendency that when groups succeed, it is taken as a group effort. However, if the group fails, then there is the tendency of placing the blame on selected individuals, which is a biased view that interferes with the evaluation process.

11. Provide two reasons why team-building programs are often not used by organizations. [2 points each]

Reason 1:

Most organizations lack the expertise necessary to ensure that they can run successful team building programs.

Reason 2:

The other reason lies in the lack of an understanding among the manager of the importance of team building. This makes managers undermine team building, which eventually leads to the organization’s lack of using the same.

12. Reflect on the types of team-building programs.
    1. Which type of team-building program fosters team spirit and builds interpersonal connections among team members? [2 points]

Answer:

Cohesion building encourages the team members to belong and to take pride in the team. They understand each other and even look forward to the success of the team since there is the creation of trust and cooperation.

1. Which type of team-building program involves asking team members to analyze their work situations and identify what other people could do to improve their effectiveness? [2 points]

Answer:

Problem-solving requires that members of the team identify any problems and then develop the most appropriate solution to ensure that in the end, the team remains successful.

1. Which type of team-building program is designed to clarify the purpose of the team? [2 points]

Answer:

Role clarification ensures that every member of the team identifies their function for the enhancement of the team. The entire team also understands its purpose and the goals for achievement i.e., their roles as part of the larger organization.

13. Reflect on what you have learned in this course regarding developing and leading effective teams. Then reflect over your team experience in this course. Knowing what you know now, explain one thing you would do differently (not what you wish your team members had done) regarding your team interactions to make your team more successful (remember team success includes the task, social relations, and the individual) if you could return to your first team interaction and start over. Explain. (Note: Even if you had the best team experience you have ever had, there is always room for improvement and development.) [up to 5 points]

Response:

One thing that I would do differently is to embrace diversity. This would include an attempt to understand other people’s diverse cultures and methods of performing tasks. This caused quite a problem as I thought that some members were quite weird in their behaviors. It was often a source of conflict that led to disharmony in the team. Learning about diversity helps to create an opportunity where one can interact with other team members and appreciate their diverse views so that there can be an enhancement of team creativity and, eventually, the development of innovative ideas.

14. Continue your reflection from Question 13. Knowing what you know now, what will be one thing you will be sure to implement (examples: a behavior, a tool, a mindset, a strategy, etc.) in new teams (work teams, other school teams, clubs, social groups, etc.) you are a part of in the future to better set them up for success? Explain. [up to 5 points]

Response:

The strategy that I would implement is cohesion building as part of the team-building techniques. Through this course, I have learned that it is imperative to build interpersonal relationships while fostering team spirit. Cohesion building would ensure that the team members appreciate each other and therefore make it easy for them to work together. This would then increase the sense of belonging and then the morale of the team players, which means that the chances for success are quite high.

Note: Before you submit your exam for grading:

• Go back through each question and make sure you have answered all components of all questions. For example, if a question asks you to list and explain, be sure you do not just contain your answers. Be sure you have also provided a thorough explanation.
• Be sure you provided your typed name on the designated space on the first page to serve as your signature that you read and understand the instructions and are complying with the Troy University Honor Code. If that signature is missing, your grade will be recorded as a zero.